


Luctor et Emergo

by eri_quin



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan
Genre: F/M, Gender Issues, Gender or Sex Swap, Genderbending
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-08-18
Updated: 2013-08-18
Packaged: 2017-12-23 23:23:03
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Underage
Chapters: 2
Words: 17,314
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/932301
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eri_quin/pseuds/eri_quin
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Titan Kronos somehow changed Percy Jackson from male to female after the disastrous events aboard the ship Princess Andromeda. But there was yet another catch; '"she's" no longer a demigod. </p><p>Not one of them, Percy can't stay in the camp and is forced out and must try to live a mortal life as a mortal girl. Hades gives her a new life in Los Angeles, where she runs across the Roman equivalent to her old life. Percy now finds that there is more for her in store, and that her old life isn't quite done with her. The Titan Atlas decides to invade her life as well, and her new home is becoming a little crowded and too much of the past still sticking to her. There's still those pesky gender identity issues too…</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Diis Volentibus (Gods Willing)

Luke’s sword slashed the deckchair in half, metal pipes and all. Percy crawled towards the swimming pool, knowing he’d never make it with the way he was close to blacking out. Luke was gradually coming towards him, and with the way he looked he knew Percy couldn’t either. His thigh was in so much pain, he couldn’t focus on anything but it.

 

Luke smiled slowly, moving his sword upwards as he examined it, seeing the red tinge at the edge in detached curiosity.

 

“Lord Kronos has asked me to send a message,” the blond said casually, lowering Backbiter as he came to a stop next to Percy.

 

He grabbed Percy’s hair, yanking his head up. Percy cried out in pain, but Luke ignored it and surprisingly sheathed his sword, opting instead with a crystal vial filled with an unknown golden substance. He shoved it to Percy’s mouth, the top clanking harshly against his teeth.

 

“Bottom’s up,” and then Luke was forcefully tossing the liquid down his throat. “Good luck to you, Percy,” he gave a strange sad smile.

 

Percy gagged a little, surprised at the abrupt move, but it was too late to stop or spit it out by the time he regained his bearings. Everything was unclear after that. He remembered barely something about the bear man advancing on Annabeth and Grover and then an arrow erupting in his mouth. Then a bunch of centaurs appeared, all looking ready for partying than battle.

 

The last thing he heard was one of them yelling, “Come get some!”

 

When he regained consciousness, Chiron was looking him over and the first things he heard were:

 

“Dude!” said a party pony as he unloaded his gear. “Did you see that bear guy? He was all like: ‘Whoa, I have an arrow in my mouth!’”

 

The centaur with the googly-eye glasses laughed. “That was awesome! Head slam!”

 

The two centaurs charged at each other full-force and knocked heads, then went staggering off in different directions with crazy grins on their faces.

 

Chiron sighed. He set Annabeth and Grover down on a picnic blanket next to Percy. “I really wish my cousins wouldn’t slam their heads together. They don’t have the brain cells to spare.”

 

“I feel like _my_ brain cells got scrambled,” Percy said dazedly, slowly sitting up.

 

Chiron assisted him and they started discussing how Chiron got to them, before he was dismissing the other two and he was looking at Percy. They talked at length about the prophecy that Percy had coerced out of Annabeth, and the sinking feeling grew in his stomach.

 

They quickly returned to camp, where Clarisse put the Golden Fleece on Thalia’s tree. There was a bunch of cheering and stuff, but Percy’s head was still fuzzy. He didn’t mention it to anyone and was just glad to be treated like a regular camper for once, especially after the fact they had snuck out of camp. If the others had noticed them, they would have had to expel them, so it was as good a thank you as anything.

 

Later that night, as they were roasting s’mores and listening to the Stoll brothers tell a ghost story about an evil king who was eaten alive by demonic breakfast pastries, Clarisse shoved him from behind and whispered in his ear, “Just because you were cool one time, Jackson, don’t think you’re off the hook with Ares. I’m still waiting for the right opportunity to pulverize you.”

 

He gave her a grudging smile.

 

“What?” she demanded.

 

“Nothing,” he said. “Just good to be home.”

 

The chariot races were still going on, and he and Annabeth were training like crazy, both wanting to win. Chores were to be split and all that, but there was just this persistent headache that wouldn’t go away. It was like a pounding in his skull, that with each pang of pain, his head felt like it was ready to be cracked wide open. He’d let Tyson take him to the infirmary, but nothing was diagnosed. Chiron himself was mystified about it, especially after Percy confided in him about the vial’s substance Luke had forced down his throat. No one else had seen and he didn’t want to cause a stir and panic over it, but he didn’t want to let it go in case it was important, restricting the information to just Chiron.

 

“This is very worrying, but with nothing more to go on, we’ll just have to keep an eye out. Watch out for any changes and update me about it. I will see what I can find out in the meantime,” Chiron’s eyebrows furrowed.

 

The night before the races, Percy stayed up late. He was with the horses, giving them a final brush through. His headache had mysteriously gone away and he pondered about it, but before he could go any further with his thoughts, he was interrupted and ended up having a nervous but casual talk with Hermes.

 

Ending on a final note about immortal families being eternally messy, Percy was about to apologize one last time about Luke when he suddenly felt very hot. He rapidly began to sweat and the god noticed the change in his companion immediately.

 

“Percy, your eyes are dilating. Are you alright?” the god moved towards him, but he shook his head, giving a pained smile.

 

“No, no. I’m fine. That’s the conch shell, I have to get to bed. I’m sorry about Luke again, Lord Hermes,” Percy bit out, trying to get away quickly and not bring any more attention to his current condition, wanting instead to find somewhere to curl up in peace.

 

“I don’t think so,” Hermes frowned. “You don’t look too well.”

 

Percy took a deep breath, his eyesight continuing its odd dance of being in and out of focus, blurry at best and blacked out at worse.

 

“Can you do me a favor, Lord Hermes?” Percy asked, the idea coming to him. “Lord Apollo is also the god of medicine, right?”

 

“As am I in part,” Hermes nodded.

 

“Can you ask him what a purplyish crystal vial with a golden substance inside might be?” If anyone would know, it would be him, right? At least, Percy thought so. Maybe either god would know what was wrong.

 

“I’ll bring it up with him,” he said softly, watching the paling demigod worriedly. “Are you sure you don’t need any help? Or maybe I can help you along to the infirmary?”

 

“Nah, really –I’m fine. I gotta go. Curfew and all, yeah? See you, Lord Hermes,” Percy grinned slightly, feeling his throat closing up and his chest squeezing alarmingly.

 

He turned and then suddenly his slow overpowering state was interrupted with an explosion of pain, and he fell to his hands and knees. He felt warm hands reach to grab him and help him up, when he involuntarily jerked out of Hermes’ hands and fell completely to the floor, his body shaking in uncontrollable spasms.

 

“Hold on, Percy! I’ll get you help,” but he could barely make out those words.

 

His body shut down and he closed his eyes.

 

He didn’t wake up for a long time. He missed the chariot race, which Annabeth and Tyson forced themselves to go through for him, winning it. Amongst the whispers and speculations of the camp, a shared worry about what was wrong with him echoed about in a strange melancholy. He stayed in the infirmary, suffering a high and almost unbreakable fever that was relentless in plaguing him. He constantly sweated and tossed and turned in his bed, crying out and mumbling at intervals.

 

Instead of Tyson going to stay with their father for the rest of the summer, Poseidon had come to keep watch over his eldest mortal son, worry etching itself on his features. The two of them kept to the infirmary, only allowing others to visit in turns. Hermes regularly came for checkups and had also brought Apollo along since the beginning, informing him of what he knew of the situation and Chiron filling in what little details he knew, which was mostly only to how Percy had come about the vial and its substance.

 

Guilt ran through Hermes when he’d heard that, as he had helped bring Percy into contact with Luke in the first place and it was his favor that had gotten Percy into such trouble. He relayed more details that Percy had told him, about the colors of both vial and liquid, and of the material of the vial itself.

 

Apollo had paled and told them that he had an idea, splitting his time between researching it and looking after Percy.

 

Then something happened. One night, Percy started muttering even more than usual, stiffening up in his bed. Poseidon got off his chair to check on him, with Tyson echoing him, when Percy’s eyes shot open with a wild look to them, and the demigod tore out of his bed, running haphazardly out of the infirmary and into the night. They followed after him, seeing others slowly gathering up and moving up the hill, where Percy outpaced them all and stopped by Thalia’s tree, leaving them behind him.

 

Annabeth was kneeling by someone lying on the ground, though she wasn’t too close, and everyone wondered what was going on. They were even more amazed to see Percy dazedly standing near the two, having been confined to the infirmary for quite awhile.

 

“Percy, come back here,” Chiron hesitantly moved to grab the dazed boy, who was watching the downed figures with unseeing eyes.

 

That startled Annabeth and she looked up, only for Percy to roughly grab her and push her away, kneeling himself beside the unknown girl.

 

“Thalia,” his hoarse voice croaked to the amazement of others.

 

Nobody else came close.

 

Percy stared, almost as if his mind had left everyone else, all who were distanced from the two anyways. Annabeth trekked closer to Chiron and Grover, watching warily with everyone. Poseidon patiently waited, though he wanted just as much to pull his son away or even to just reach out to his son.

 

He put his hand on her forehead. Her skin was cold, but his fingertips tingled as if they were burning. Her eyes snapped opened, revealing startling electric blue irises.

 

“What…”

 

“It’s okay. You’re safe,” he murmured, but his eyes were unfocused.

 

The girl stared at him in bewilderment, shivering and wild-eyed. “Who –”

 

“I’m Percy,” he said. “You’re safe now.”

 

“Strangest dream ...”

 

“It’s okay.”

 

“Dying.”

 

“No,” he assured her. “You’re okay. Things will be alright.”

 

His held out his hand upright and she glanced at it hesitantly.

 

“I am Perseus,” he intoned vacantly. “Son of Poseidon, Thalia, Daughter of Zeus.”

 

The strange urge to say those words had now turned into screaming inside, a hollow feeling erupting inside of him at them. He gave her a cracked smile that she returned with an unsure and confused one.

 

Her hand tentatively reached his, the tips of her fingers first touching his and then the rest of her hand lay flat against it. And the moment her hand touched his, it was ironic that pain erupted in him like lightning and he fell back from her as he started writhing on the ground and screaming in agony.

 

It was such a predictable thing to know he’d blacked out again.

 

Next he woke, he was alone, having woken up on his side in his bed in the infirmary. He blinked in disarray, wondering also at the heavier feeling on his chest and the feeling of something missing downwards. He licked his dry lips as he swallowed heavily, one hand reaching down as the other reached out. It would look highly wrong to anyone, if they were to walk in, but the moment Percy’s hands touched his chest and his new genitals, he didn’t care about how wrong the picture looked but only about how messed up the situation was and how did this happen.

 

‘She’ choked out a cry and rubbed her arm against her eyes, trying not to burst into tears.

 

+  
+  
+  
+  
+  
+

 

She didn’t fall back to sleep, but she stayed there unmoving after she realized what had happened to her. Her hands didn’t stray to the new additions to her body again, but stayed firmly clasped in front of her like in a prayer position. Her side started to feel numb for how long she laid on it, but she neither cared nor had any energy to move.

 

Percy had somehow turned into a girl.

 

That was all she could think and care about at that moment. It didn’t matter that she was alone, that somehow Thalia Grace had come back to life, or that Luke had once again gotten the upper hand through not only the Golden Fleece…but whatever he had done to her.

 

Her…what a strange notion…

 

“Percy? Are you awake?” Annabeth! Percy sat up quickly, seeing the blonde girl enter the room hesitantly. She gave her a huge smile, but Annabeth didn’t reciprocate. Instead, the Daughter of Athena’s lips trembled and her eyes looked suspiciously wet.

 

“Annabeth? What’s going on? Why am I a girl and why do you look like you’re about to cry?”

 

Annabeth sat down next to her, taking a moment to compose herself before speaking.

 

“Percy, they haven’t told us everything that’s going on…but we do know some stuff. Like…how you’re not a demigod.”

 

Percy stared at her, unable to process that.

 

“What?”

 

“Oh, Percy, please don’t make me repeat that again,” Annabeth closed her eyes. “The fact is, y-you’re not one of us anymore.”

 

“And?” her voice cracked.

 

“You can’t _be_ here, Percy,” Annabeth winced. “You’re mortal now, so you belong out there.”

 

“You’re kicking me out?” Percy asked in disbelief. “What…how can you…after everything, you’re just going to come in here and tell me that?”

 

“Don’t you think this is hard on me too?” Annabeth screamed suddenly. “I lo –” She stopped herself, shaking her head. “You’ll have to leave soon. To help you adjust and give you some closure, Chiron said that you can stay for the rest of the summer.”

 

Percy reached out, touching her hand gently. But when Annabeth jerked her hand back, it felt like Percy had been stabbed. She couldn’t breathe again, and this time it had nothing to do with any vials and liquids –except for the blood pounding through her veins and heart, and the tears that silently trekked down her face.

 

“I really like you, Annabeth,” Percy confessed, licking her newly soft lips. She had the urge to bite down on them harshly and make them bleed. “Finish that sentence. Tell me you care for me too. Please, Annabeth, tell me you return my feelings.”

 

“I do care for you, but it’s not the same,” Annabeth rubbed her eyes.

 

“How can it not be?!” Percy exploded. “Just because I’m a girl now, you don’t love me anymore? Wouldn’t you love me anyway, no matter what? Whatever happens?”

 

“It’s just not the same,” Annabeth insisted. “I still have feelings for you, but I can’t look at you and feel the way I did when you were a boy. I tried, I swear I tried. But even feeling the same way I do towards you, they feel less intense, muted. I’m not even attracted to you anymore. And you’re mortal, Percy. You don’t belong in my world.”

 

“You mean our world,” Percy bit out.

 

“Not anymore,” Annabeth gazed at her with a teary but firm gaze.

 

“And what if this gets reversed? This can’t be forever,” she persisted. “I’ll change back. Won’t you even have faith or believe in that?”

 

“It’s permanent,” Annabeth said stoically. “Both your change into a mortal and a female. You can’t be changed back and you never will,” she ended in a whisper.

 

She stood abruptly and walked out, leaving Percy to sit in bed in shock, feeling herself trembling from the pain of a broken heart and abandonment than physical pain.

 

She didn’t even notice the five people who came into the room some time later, even though four were gods and one was a centaur. She just kept her blank gaze firmly staring at the wall in front of her. Apollo started to check on her, his warm hands coming into contact with her skin.

 

“Hello, Percy,” his bright grin faltered when she didn’t respond. “I’m Apollo. How are you?”

 

She still didn’t reply to him, so he cleared his throat awkwardly and rubbed the back of his neck in discomfort.

 

“There’s no going about this, so I’ll just explain it to you straight,” Apollo turned solemn, and she could see that it wasn’t a normal thing by everyone else’s reactions. “The substance forced on you is called _Dimidium Nex_ , which is Latin for ‘Half Death’. Our Roman children created it with the sole purpose of changing a demigod into a mortal. What happens is that the concoction targets the demigod’s DNA. Gods don’t have DNA, but _demigods_ do. Each demigod has a separate ‘demigod-DNA’ sequence. The potion changes it by changing the part that makes you a ‘demigod’.”

 

“I still look like Poseidon,” she countered quietly.

 

“Ah, well…the potion goes after just the ‘demigod’ part in that sequence, things that make you a demigod by nature. I assume it leaves the physical, genetics, inherited traits from your godly parent alone –so you still have say Uncle P’s temper.”

 

Both Percy and Poseidon glared at him and he held up his hands.

 

“Sounds too complicated for the time,” she muttered.

 

“You’d be surprised at the things they could do,” Apollo answered wryly.

 

“That still doesn’t explain why I’m a girl,” Percy frowned, going back to the matter at hand.

 

Apollo winced, though he eyed her appreciatively. “Well, at least you’re a pretty one.”

 

She gave him a bland stare and he grinned awkwardly, pink flush staying on his face.

 

“I’m guessing it had something to do with what happened before. The night you ran off to see Thalia, the potion was close to completion. Your transformation was happening slowly and that night it was about to be finished. However, the moment it just about was almost complete, you touched Thalia and the potion recognized a secondary change it needed before completion.”

 

“I touched plenty of people before then, so why did I change into a girl now?”

 

“It’s because that you touched Thalia right at the moment when the potion was about to be completed. The touch served as a medium for the potion to recognize something else being introduced to the rest of your modifications, with the potion reacting to the difference in Thalia to you and absorbing the difference to your transformation. A few hours after you touched Thalia, your body began making the final alterations and for the past few days your body has been adjusting to the changes.”

 

“But then wouldn’t I be able to be a demigod, since she is, and the change be reverted?” Percy tried to find something to help her.

 

He gave an apologetic smile, “Not quite. The potion was meant to change you from a demigod, so the potion would fight against it. Kind of like white blood cells attacking an intruder, and getting immunity. The only other thing to change was what the potion recognized as different in Thalia from you –your gender. So it latched onto that and altered that about you as well.”

 

Percy slumped over in resignation.

 

Apollo’s smile turned sad. “I’m sorry, Percy. It was nice meeting you. I wish you all the luck and happiness in the world.”

 

He left and it was an awkward silence. Chiron uncomfortably cleared his throat.

 

“I don’t really want to say this right now, but there’s never going to be a good time to say it. Percy, you won’t be able to stay here. The wards won’t allow it, at least not long term. You wouldn’t want to stay here anyway. The others…they’ll most likely treat you differently, some even negatively. And you would feel like an outsider because of it, even more so when you’re here and you’re around things that you can’t participate or be a part of anymore. I don’t want you to feel like an outcast. Still…you’re still welcome to stay here for as long as you need, until summer’s end, if you want,” Chiron looked at her sadly.

 

Percy nodded unhappily.

 

“Try to visit, won’t you? _I_ would like to see you and know how you are,” the centaur clapped a comforting hand on hers for a moment before disappearing out the door.

 

Dionysus quickly followed after, though he stopped at the door and hesitated. He sighed and reluctantly turned to face her, his hand on the doorway clenching firmly.

 

“I wish you luck, Percy Jackson,” he surprisingly said her name, his tone neutral. He turned to leave once more, though he tensed and said one more thing without turning back, his voice turning regretful. “And now you’ve seen the life of a hero.”

 

He left without another word.

 

Percy was left alone with her father, and also a silent Hermes who blended into the shadows and stayed unnoticeable.

 

She didn’t want to look at him. She didn’t want to know how upset he was. Did he even want to look at her? Did he even still consider her one of his children? Or did he rather never see her again and just forget she ever existed?

 

Her hands were grasping onto the sheets so tightly, she was nearly making a hole. But then Poseidon’s hands lightly touched hers and her hands relaxed slightly.

 

“This doesn’t change anything, Percy,” Poseidon’s voice rumbled comfortingly. “No matter what, you will always be one of mine. You are still a Child of Poseidon.”

 

Oh, she couldn’t help it. After everything, this piece of good news and the only thing to make her happy, just piled up as another emotional event onto all the others and she burst into tears. Her father gathered her up and held her.

 

“It’s alright, Percy. I will never regret claiming you and you will always be claimed by me. I am very proud of you,” he soothed. “Shush now. I have something for you that I had made.”

 

Percy tried to calm herself quickly, slowly moving away to easily see what her father had. He held up a pretty strip of black satin, with an even prettier Greek trident and alpha and omega signs attached to either side of it sewn into the middle of the strip, made of an odd slightly dark green shimmering material. Two tiny white pearls dangled from where they were attached from the bottom of the alpha and omega signs.

 

“The pendant is made of a special type of coral, made only in my kingdom, called Queen Coral. The emerald shine won’t ever fade, and will always glitter like new. The pearls are the same type of pearls used on your first Quest. If ever you need to escape, snap one off and step on it. There are two if you need to double jump, just in case. After an hour of use, the pearls should reappear back in place,” he explained and she loved the gift even more.

 

Yeah it was girly, but her _father_ gave it to her and it _was_ rather pretty…

 

And useful, very useful.

 

“And if you ever feel lonely or want to feel my presence, press the palm of your hand firmly against the pendant and then when you move or flick the pearls, they’ll make a tinkling sound like bells,” he demonstrated.

 

She smiled at that before frowning.

 

“Hey, I’m not a cat.”

 

Poseidon grinned suddenly, “But I thought it was a cute idea.”

 

“ _I’m_ not cute.”

 

“ _I_ think you are! Come on, Percy. I’ve never really had a girl before, and you’re so cute now!”

 

“Dad!” she twitched and punched his shoulder, not noticing the pout on her face, which just reinforced the ‘cute’ image in Poseidon’s mind and supported his words. He couldn’t help himself; he tackled her and hugged her tightly, rubbing his face against hers affectionately.

 

“Kyah!”

 

“You _are_ cute!”

 

After a moment of that, with Percy struggling to get away, Poseidon turned to the last thing on his mind.

 

“Even though you’re mortal now, I told you I still consider you mine. That won’t ever change. So I’ll try to visit you often, alright? I will see you once every month, no matter what. If the coming war starts taking more of my time, then I’ll make sure to tell you and switch to at least keeping contact once every week.”

 

Percy blushed, but was very happy about that.

 

“Oh, okay. Thanks a lot, I can’t wait.”

 

Poseidon patted her head with a soft smile, before hugging her once more and leaving her to rest. She thought she was finally alone, but someone cleared their throat and she looked up in surprise to remember that Hermes was still there.

 

“H-hey,” her voice cracked and she uncomfortably watched him, not knowing what to say.

 

“I’m sorry,” he apologized again. She opened her mouth, but he held up a hand. “No, Percy. This _is_ my fault and I need to apologize. Thank you for what you did for me, but I’m sorry that this is what you got in return. I wish I hadn’t pushed you into this and if I could, I would try to correct things and return things to what they should be. But I can’t and you’re stuck as a girl and even worse –not a demigod and being turned away.”

 

She started feeling unhappy about things again, but he came closer and tentatively sat next to her.

 

“I just…I’m sorry,” he said again, looking at her pleadingly. “I don’t know what else to say. Everything else sounds worthless or useless, but I can’t just sit here and say _nothing_.”

 

“Hey now, you shouldn’t feel too bad about it. I mean, you’re a god. Aren’t gods supposed to just…move on?” Percy weakly joked.

 

He looked at her and she winced, seeing how much this was upsetting him.

 

“Um, I don’t know why you’re so bothered by it, but it’s okay. At least I still have my dad and I’m happy that he still likes me, and I’ll just have to find a way to cope about all this.” Though, she wasn’t so sure she actually could. Not that she would say that to him, with the way he was strangely feeling bad about it.

 

He didn’t answer her, looking like he was brooding to himself. She held back, but then decided to reach over and touch his shoulder. He sighed and turned to face her slightly.

 

“Apollo was right though,” he smiled faintly. “You _are_ pretty.”

 

“T-thanks.”

 

She found herself blushing, though she berated herself about it.

 

_‘He’s a **guy**. **I’m** a guy. What am I getting all worked up over?’_

“Have you ever been kissed before?” his voice cut into her thoughts.

 

Her blush became worse, though she frowned after a second and scoffed.

 

“No. Annabeth was supposed to be my first,” her scowl lightened and she sort of just flopped back dejectedly on her bed, thinking about it.

 

A soft pair of lips covered hers and she blinked, realizing that _Hermes_ was kissing her. _Her_. Oh…

 

She didn’t even notice when her eyes fluttered close or when he’d moved over and was laying lightly on top of her; only that his lips were skillfully moving against hers and that she had no idea that this is what a kiss was like or that it could feel so good.

 

He reluctantly moved away and she blinked again, this time in a daze.

 

“That’s really as best an apology or repayment I can give,” he offered, smiling somewhere between sadly and contentment.

 

“Oh. It was…nice,” she swallowed harshly, trying to gain her bearings.

 

“Nice?” he raised an eyebrow up in amusement.

 

“Fantastic,” she blurted out, and then she shook her head, hitting his chest. “I’m a boy,” she declared. “You don’t kiss boys.”

 

He blinked and looked at her. “Yeah. Sure. Though I probably would’ve kissed you when you were a boy too.”

 

“What?”

 

“Nothing, nothing. Anyways, I hope you don’t mind me stealing your first kiss,” he shrugged apologetically. “I hope it’s okay. Or at least I’m the first man to kiss you.”

 

“First and only,” she huffed. “‘Cause you know. I’m a boy and all.”

 

“Right,” he humored her.

 

And even though her head was screaming _‘I’maboyI’maboyI’maboy!’_ , she could still recall the feeling of his lips against hers and the sensation of having his body on top of hers and feeling his weight comfortably settled on her.

 

“It _was_ nice,” she mumbled. “I liked it. A lot,” she reluctantly admitted. She thought on it some more and sighed, running her hands through her short hair. “No. You can have my first kiss. And you can be the first man to kiss me.”

 

Well…since she was okay with it…

 

He leaned over and surprised her with another long kiss. He kissed her again for a third time before disappearing a little later after that, leaving her dazedly flopped against her bed.

 

“But I’m a boy,” she whined.

 

Deciding to get the hell out of there and figure out what to do next, she slipped out of bed and redressed in her old clothes before she got out, not caring to see if she was cleared to go in the first place. She frowned once she was outside, seeing how oddly deserted the place was. She walked a little further and was surprised to be stopped by Clarisse.

 

“You. Should not. Be going out. Like _that_ ,” the rougher girl growled, grabbing her arm and forcing her to follow after her.

 

“Like what?” Percy was bewildered.

 

“Have you looked at your _chest_?” Clarisse rolled her eyes.

 

“Uh…actually no. I kinda felt it earlier, so I know I have…some new stuff though,” she started turning red.

 

“New stuff,” the Daughter of Ares muttered, snorting. “Anyways, you’re kinda short right now, so your _breasts_ are slightly large for your frame.”

 

“What does that mean?” Percy blinked.

 

“It _means_ –you’re my cup size, but since you’re smaller your breasts are bigger on you than mine are on me,” Clarisse twitched. “They might fit better on you when you start growing, but then again they might grow with you.”

 

“So big breasts is a bad thing?”

 

“Tch! Depending on how you look at it. For one, if they’re _too_ big, especially for your frame, they’ll kill your back. But no girl really wants to have really small breasts. Average is good, even if some pigs have an obsession with huge tits.” Clarisse eyed her slightly enviously. “You actually have a good pair…On you they’re big, though at least not like watermelons, but on me they’re average or even leaning on small,” the brunette slightly pouted about it.

 

Percy’s face was fully red now.

 

“Ugh. I’d really prefer not to be talking about this at all, especially with you.”

 

Clarisse gave her a nasty grin, with a look that said she was enjoying embarrassing and making Percy uncomfortable. She even looked ready to start cackling in enjoyment any second.

 

“Besides,” the newly made mortal frowned. “What does…all that have anything to do with me going out…like, uh, ‘that’? Whatever ‘that’ is.”

 

“You’re wearing your old camp shirt, which is too small to include your new ‘additions.’ Your tits are sticking out like a sore thumb, sweetheart,” Clarisse’s voice was layered with thick sarcasm.

 

“Ah…oops?”

 

Clarisse just snickered and dragged her the rest of the way to the Ares cabin. Once in there, Clarisse kicked everyone else out and forced her to sit in front of an out of place vanity set. She rummaged around in a dresser next to a bed, Percy assumed belonged to her, before coming back next to Percy and handing her an odd contraption. Percy’s face immediately turned back to red, recognizing the bra from the occasional times she’d done laundry for her mom.

 

“W-what am I supposed to do with this?” Percy stuttered.

 

“What else? Wear it, duh!”

 

The smaller girl looked at the bra uneasily, before hesitantly taking off her shirt (very mindful and embarrassed that Clarisse was watching, even if it was to supervise Percy and criticize her handiwork) and slipping on the straps. Her hands awkwardly fumbled with the clasps, with her arms uncomfortably bending behind her. Clarisse came over and sighed, knocking her hands away and clasping it herself.

 

“You’ll need to practice, so you won’t have so much trouble,” Clarisse mumbled as she finished. Then she moved away and looked to see how well the bra fit and she was right about the matching size.

 

“Uh, I guess,” Percy fidgeted, feeling odd as she looked at herself in the mirror. Strangely, it was odder seeing herself in the bra than feeling herself wearing it.

 

“Hey, Clarisse! Wrestling matches in ten!” Mark and Sherman burst through the door.

 

The two boys stared.

 

Clarisse sighed again and face palmed at the idiocy of her brothers.

 

Percy stared back, her shocked face slowly turning red again, though this time more in anger with a mix of embarrassment.

 

The two boys continued to stare, though accompanied this time with dazed faces and dark blushes. Sherman might’ve even had the beginnings of a perverted nosebleed…

 

“Out. Now,” Clarisse deadpanned, pointing at the door.

 

But Percy reacted before they could quietly agree, screeching as she started throwing anything within reach at Clarisse’s half-brothers. Clarisse just grinned happily at the show of violence.

 

Afterwards, as Percy walked to her cabin –well used-to-be-hers – she started to feel self-conscious and wondering how she was going to adjust to her new life. As a girl and a mortal…

 

She clenched her jaw as she entered Cabin Three, her eyes directed to the ground so she didn’t see that someone was already inside.

 

“Hello, Perseas,” a lovely voice spoke.

 

“Perseus,” Percy corrected with a frown, finally looking up.

 

Her eyes widened and she stared, seeing a beyond beautiful woman standing in the middle of her foyer.

 

“You should change it, now that you’re a female,” she said friendly, her lips twisting upwards somehow prettily.

 

Percy shook herself out of it, her face still red, though she looked shyly to the ground and then towards the unknown woman, not knowing how to respond.

 

“Come here, Percy. Let us get to know each other more intimately,” she gestured for Percy to come closer, her face strangely genteel and fond towards her, even though Percy was sure she’d never met the other.

 

Percy hesitantly came closer, and then ended up being led to her room. A similar vanity set to the one in the Ares cabin had somehow appeared in there, set against the far wall. The striking woman sat her in front of it immediately.

 

“I hope you don’t mind me putting this in here. I thought it would help me more easily,” she said breezily, taking out an ornate brush from the vanity set.

 

“Help you do what exactly? And who are you?” Percy asked uneasily, eying the brush warily.

 

“Oh! I’d forgotten to introduce myself. I’m Aphrodite,” the goddess introduced herself. “And…well, I’m going to fix your hair up a bit,” she explained simply.

 

“What? But why?”

 

Aphrodite smiled sadly, “You know, Percy…I had such big plans for you. I knew immediately, from the first time I’d heard of you and from the first time I’d gotten a glimpse of you, that I would love you immediately and be quite fond of you. I knew I’d like you immediately…and I was right. Even like this, I see I still find myself quite fond. Back then, I had all these plans to mess with your love life, as I do with all my favorites…but I can’t do that now. Never mind the mortal rule –I’m love! I practically interfere all the time. It’s more...I can’t stand to mess up your life more when you’ve already been dealt such a horrible hand.”

 

“Why would you care so much? You don’t even know me and gods aren’t really supposed to care at all,” Percy muttered.

 

She threaded a gentle hand through her hair, and Percy unconsciously leaned closer to her.

 

“Oh sweetheart…trust me, that doesn’t really matter. I know quite clearly how much I feel for you, dearest Pers _eus_. And the gods all have their favorites…much less the fact you underestimate just how precious you are to all the gods, even if some of them are a bit grouchy or non-vocal about it.”

 

She didn’t really believe that, but she didn’t deny it to Aphrodite’s face.

 

The goddess lightly picked up a strand of Percy’s short hair and examined it.

 

“This will have to do…Fixing your hair is the least I can do,” she said surely, as if she was speaking to herself.

 

Percy pouted, “Is there something wrong with my hair or something?”

 

“Hm? Oh no. It’s just too short,” Aphrodite said absentmindedly, already thinking. “I won’t put it too long, as you’ve been a boy and aren’t used to long hair…and you’ll have trouble getting used to taking care of it anyway…but a little longer than it is now, so you don’t look like a feminine boy or a lesbian…not that I don’t like either one…in fact, I –”

 

“Aphrodite?” Percy interrupted.

 

“Oops, about to get off track and lose my train of thought,” Aphrodite smiled apologetically.

 

“Um, Aphrodite, can I ask a question?”

 

When the goddess nodded, Percy trudged on.

 

“Was Annabeth…”

 

“Part of my plans?” Aphrodite guessed correctly, smiling sadly. “Yes, sweetheart. She had been a big part of my plans for you. I had everything planned out and I thought I’d have the two of you have a happily ever after in the end, after all of it. Not that she would deserve you…” she frowned disapprovingly.

 

This was it. All she wanted to know…what would determine whether or not if she’d stay there a little longer, hoping to change the other’s mind…if there was a change, even small…

 

“Does that mean that Annabeth and I will still get together? That she still loves me and somehow we’ll still end up with each other? You’re the goddess of love, so you would know, right? I mean –”

 

Aphrodite surprisingly hugged her from behind, softly burying her face into Percy’s neck.

 

“I’m sorry, Percy. She isn’t in denial of her feelings, or lying about them. They truly have changed. She did, once, truly feel very strongly for you, but it is as she said. The feelings have changed and they will not return. She isn’t the end all and only for you, Percy. While the two of you could’ve truly lived happily together, she isn’t your soul mate.”

 

Percy couldn’t help the slow falling of tears, staring at herself in the mirror. If she had never turned into a _girl_ …

 

“Do you know who my soul mate actually is?” Percy asked halfheartedly.

 

“No, I actually don’t. Soul mates are, contrary to belief, very rare. Well, to be found at least. What I mean is that everyone _has_ a soul mate…but it’s rare for a person to actually find theirs. I can know who are soul mates, but they have to meet first. It’s up to them to meet and it’s through the Strings of Fate that would lead to a meeting,” Aphrodite explained patiently, humming happily at the thought of her trade.

 

She started to brush through Percy’s short hair, and as the former demigod watched she saw that very slowly…the short strands of her hair started to grow.

 

“Your hair is so pretty,” Percy murmured. “One day, I think I’d like to have long pretty hair like you.”

 

“Thank you, Percy,” another stroke and her hair grew a little bit longer.

 

“You’re… _you’re_ pretty.”

 

Aphrodite smiled, but instead of the usual smugness on her face or pleased light in her eyes there was just sadness.

 

“Beauty is subjective, you know. In a general idea, I am considered the most beautiful woman in the eyes of men…but even those in love will find their other half more beautiful. Men will see things different in the name of love, Percy.”

 

Percy stayed quiet, just quietly watching their mirror-selves.

 

“There,” Aphrodite hmmed approvingly, running her hands through Percy’s hair and magically sticking it out without any products or visible outside help. “A cute little pixie cut hairstyle, Alice Cullen style. I’ve grown quite fond of it, though not for myself. I’m too attached to my long hair to attempt the style.”

 

Percy smiled shyly, unused to having someone direct their attention to herself in this way, and just pampering her.

 

Aphrodite playfully, though somehow in a sad way, tapped Percy’s nose.

 

“I’m a little too late on getting your first kiss, but since Annabeth wasn’t it or won’t kiss you at all, how about I get to be your first girl kiss? Your current love of your life won’t kiss you, so I’d hope a kiss from the goddess of love herself would suffice instead.”

 

Percy didn’t protest and blushingly let the goddess tilt her head and softly kissed her.

 

She’d hoped that Annabeth was just confused or that she would’ve been able to change the other girl’s mind. Now that she knew the truth, there just wasn’t anything else for it. It had been the only thing for her there, but there was nothing really there. It was the only thing worth it for her to try staying in camp, and now she just wanted to leave.

 

So she met with Chiron and told him her plans, greeting and hugging the centaur lovingly goodbye before being driven off with Argus.

 

+  
+  
+  
+  
+  
+

 

Home. It was odd. Her mom was a little put off at first, but she just put on a big smile and welcomed Percy as if she had been a girl this entire time. And she? Well, she sort of wandered around the apartment in boredom, waiting for her mom to come back from NYU.

 

It was just her and microwaveable food.

 

Until one day, her mom came home and saw Percy sitting miserably in front of the TV, watching reruns of Spongebob and eating a tub of chocolate fudge ice cream. Sally sighed and disappeared a moment, returning with two elegant and expensive-looking black letters. One was already opened.

 

“Mom?”

 

Sally smiled sadly at her new daughter.

 

“I know you’re unhappy, sweetie. I didn’t know if I should tell you about these, but seeing how sad you are about everything, I decided that maybe they might help you. Your…Uncle Hades sent them. I read mine, telling me that I could send you to West Hollywood, where he could take care of everything and help you out. There’s more, but he probably detailed it in your letter so you can read it there. I don’t want to send you away, but if you think it’ll help you and if you want to…then read what he has to say and then come talk to me about what you want to do.”

 

Percy hesitantly grabbed her letter from her mother and slowly started to open it, Sally leaving her to her privacy.

 

_Perseus,_

_If you are reading this, then I can assume your mother has thought it over and decided that my proposition might actually help you. You helped me once, but that means more than you would understand. I expect no one to help me, as all of our other Olympic relatives never do, but you –never even knowing myself and even as I held your mother hostage and accused you of ill –chose to help and honorably repay me in kindness that I am not used to. I am indebted to you in that, and unlike my brethren I will honor that kindness._

_Returning your mother before doesn’t count, seeing as it turned out she never needed to be taken and you were held responsible for something you never did. I apologize for that now and gave her back in good will then. But to repay you and, more importantly, show you my appreciation for your…consideration, I will not abandon you in your predicament. In fact, I will help you get used to it._

_New York is a place that holds many memories and a place where you can never escape **them** and of the world you probably will never be a part of again. Perhaps, even, urges to see camp or just passing by the Empire State Building and wondering if you could go in and just see them, just hoping for something. You can escape that by moving to someplace far away, where the urges will be easier to ignore and where temptation isn’t in sight and easy to reach, unlike if you were to stay in New York._

_I can give you a new life._

_You can move here to West Hollywood, where I can arrange everything. I can help you start over and begin anew. A place will be ready and set for you to move in and a school for you to enroll in. You will also be closer to me, where I can keep a close eye on you, where I am easily accessed to you, and can give any necessary protections you may need. In this set up, I will be able to watch over you and you will be able to reach me if you are ever in need. And though you are no longer a demigod, there are no reassurances that you won’t get hurt, so the closer you are the surer I am that I will be able to keep you safe._

_Whatever your choices, I am at your service._

_Hades_

A one-way ticket to West Hollywood fell out of the envelope and Percy stared at it. She swallowed nervously and picked it up, staring at it.

 

An hour later, Sally looked to see her daughter at the door. She smiled sadly, understanding.

 

“Let’s make do with what time we have left together before you leave.”

 

Percy clutched the ticket to her chest tighter.

 

Started 1/6/10 –Completed 1/29/11


	2. Neutiquam Erro (I Am Not Lost)

When her plane landed, which was an odd experience because she kept thinking that she was going to get blasted out of the sky (then again, she wasn’t a demigod anymore, so she guessed she didn’t matter –if only she knew that Zeus had kept an eye on her and didn’t do anything out of guilt and sympathy because of what happened, though he didn’t see where she was going), the first person to greet her was someone she actually hadn’t expected.

 

“Ah…Ch-Charon, right?’ she scrambled around in her brain, trying to remember.

 

“Got it in one, love,” Charon tilted his shades at her playfully. “Come on, I’ve gotta take you to your new home.”

 

Percy hurried to catch up to his long strides and soon enough they’d reached a nice sleek black Ferrari.

 

“You really like Italian things, don’t you?” Percy commented idly, seating herself and admiring the car.

 

“Some of the best stuff,” he grinned, starting up the engine. “Now, we’ll be heading to your new home in just a sec. Your address, that you should memorize pretty quickly just in case, is 1100 Alta Loma Road, West Hollywood, CA. It’s a residential condominium, Unit 1601 with one bed and two baths. It’s got a bunch of extra shit with it, but you can figure it out when you get there. It’s 2, 416 sq ft, and here’s the listing paper that has more information for you.”

 

Charon tossed it to her and she fumbled to catch it and read it.

 

_Superior City views in this extraordinary re-creation of a Paris Apartment by Noted, Celebrity Designer Brian Little. This Penthouse was articulately redesigned of Neo-Classical inspiration and Biedermeier influence with intricate crown and panel molding detail, Master Suite & Office of Artisan crafted Maple paneling, a Master Bath of World Class Hotels, a Reception Hall of hand painted mural and an extraordinary entertainment Salon with adjoining Media Suite and Formal Dining. The Kitchen is equipped for the most discerning Chef. The building is White Glove service and of commanding security._

 

“This looks expensive. How am I going to afford this?” Percy blinked, staring at the information in trepidation.

 

“Don’t worry about it, it’s taken cared of,” Charon waved off her concerns. “Now your school is in Pasadena, around an hour and a half away. We really prefer you not to drive yet, and it’ll be easier not to drive all the way there anyway, so we mapped out the route you can take. The transit directions should be in your home, on your fridge. Get to the station by 6 in the morning and you’ll get there at 7:30-ish, right before your school starts at 8. This should be easier on you, as you don’t have to worry about getting lost too much, gas, and parking. We thought it’s such a small and close-knit area that a car will just be a hindrance.”

 

Percy nodded awkwardly, feeling out of sorts. Charon turned into a gated parking garage, getting in and driving his car around until he parked.

 

“These two parking spots are yours, if you ever need them,” Charon explained and she nodded, making note of them.

 

“Why is my school so far away?” she asked as they headed for the elevator.

 

“Because it’s a nice school and very exclusive. The top school we considered, that had most of the conditions we required. Mostly, it’s non-secular so you don’t have to worry about religion issues, and it has a high standard of learning, so the classes and teachers should be top notch. It’s a good school so you’ll be able to graduate and get into college or university easily, with high chances.”

 

“It sounds like a private school.”

 

“It is. For girls,” he added as an afterthought.

 

Percy blanched.

 

“Be glad,” he said as he led her through some hallways and then to a door. He unlocked it and led her in, with her gaping at her new ‘home.’ “We almost sent you to Marymount All-Girls Catholic School.”

 

Percy tried not to blanch again at the thought.

 

“Why would you send me to a Catholic school? You know, with the whole demigod thing and all. Or at least, former demigod thing,” she glowered.

 

“‘Cause the place is pretty,” he answered simply, making her stare at him. “Besides, it would have kept you in line and out of trouble, and reassured us that you were in good hands as well as _responsible_ and a way to make sure you don’t go around and being _reckless_.”

 

“Like I would be reckless,” she muttered.

 

He gave her a look and she shrugged.

 

“I got the laptop right there, opened to the Marymount site. Pretty, eh?” he led her to the Olympus tech on the dining table.

 

She followed him to it, trying to focus on the way and ignore the rest of the place.

 

“It is actually,” Percy admitted.

 

“Westridge isn’t bad either though. It’s very scenic as well, though it’s probably a little less stricter on students than Marymount might be. So lucky you, huh? Enough about that though. How do you like the place?”

 

Percy flushed red, nervously looking around.

 

“Looks…very Renaissance-y.”

 

“Yeah, it does,” Charon agreed. “Some of the paintings we replaced with more relatable paintings…like Greek stuff. But we left some of the originals around here, because they do look rather good and fit in with the place. Plus, we didn’t think you’d want to be reminded of all that stuff too much. And we have some of the other original paintings in storage if you decide you prefer them up instead of any of the Greek paintings.”

 

Percy didn’t answer, quietly scuffling around as she gazed around without another word.

 

“Never mind that! We have some shopping to do!” Charon continued on, moving onto another subject for an easier conversation.

 

“Shopping?” Percy blinked. “Why would we need to go shopping?”

 

Charon waved a hand, “I got you some stuff, but they’re more fashionable and probably not your usual style. We’re going out so you can choose things more to your taste. You need some underwear too.”

 

“I have underwear,” she frowned at him.

 

“Your boxers?” Charon rolled his eyes. “And how do they hold up since your change? Besides, you need actual panties and bras.”

 

“And I have a bra too. Clarisse gave it to me,” Percy started to turn red, not mentioning she’d sort of been going commando since her change because none of her boxers had fit her anymore.

 

“You need to own more than one, sweetheart,” Charon gave her an exasperated look.

 

“Why does everyone keep calling me ‘sweetheart’ now?” she muttered, silently conceding.

 

“Who knows?” Charon shrugged uncaringly. “Now let’s get going. You can explore your new home later. I just had to show you it and then get you to agree to a little shopping.”

 

His order of things didn’t make sense, but she chose not to ask so she didn’t get confused or annoyed. So she followed him back to the car, where he drove to the nearest mall.

 

Inside, he directed her straight to a lingerie boutique that had her turning a bright red. If she kept doing that, she might as well paint herself a permanent shade.

 

He tossed her into a dressing room and came back after grabbing a bunch of lingerie that he’d stuffed into her arms.

 

“Get in there and start trying them on,” he pushed her into the confined room.

 

“Why are we in Victoria Secret? Couldn’t we have gone and gotten some plainer underwear?” Percy complained.

 

“But these are nicer,” Charon retorted.

 

Percy mumbled something in irritation. Then she sighed and spoke again through the door.

 

“But these are so girly! And I’m not a girl,” she pouted to herself, dressing in the matching pair already

 

Charon twitched and then he waved his hand over the handle, unlocking it as he slipped inside. Percy ‘eeped!’, but Charon merely moved closer and indifferently cupped his hand over the apex between her legs.

 

He squeezed. “What does this say to you?” he said quietly. “Does this look and feel like a dick to you, Percy?”

 

She turned red, flinching as she felt the warmth of his hand seeping through the cloth of the panty to her new genitalia. She wanted to ignore the odd feeling this was giving her, especially down there, but it was hard and her blush only deepened. Charon watched her face closely, then decided to suddenly experimentally flick her clit. She let out a gasp and he smirked at her reaction.

 

“Face it, you’re a girl now and you have to learn to accept that. The sooner you do, the faster you can move on with your life.”

 

He took his hand away and moved back.

 

“Try on the rest of them,” he said shortly. “We’ll move on afterwards.”

 

“Can you get out then?” she asked irritably, ignoring her blush and glaring off to the side, avoiding looking at him.

 

“Can I?  Sure. Do I want to? No. Besides, I’ve already seen your body. Those things barely hide anything,” he smirked again, pinching a strap and pulling on it.

 

Percy growled and punched his shoulder, grabbing him and shoving him out of the dressing room harshly. His amused laughter echoed behind him and then through the door as she slammed it back shut.

 

“But you still haven’t seen everything, so leave me alone!” she shouted at him.

 

She grumbled to herself as she quickly started to change and go through the underwear.

 

They finished up there and then Charon was leading her to somewhere else.

 

“You can get your school stuff some other time, but for now, let’s just focus on your clothes and other things you need.”

 

She was surprised to see he’d led her to Hot Topic, reluctantly pushing her into it.

 

“More of things you’d rather wear, hm?” he stated nonchalantly, gazing off.

 

She looked at him, before grinning unrestrainedly and grabbing onto his arm and hugging it tightly. Then she took his hand and dragged him further inside, towards the t-shirt section.

 

“Thanks, Charon!”

 

He coughed, a slight red tint to his cheeks.

 

“You’re welcome.”

 

Right now, it was a much better apology for earlier than saying the actual words.

 

“Sorry about earlier.”

 

But hearing it was still nice.

 

She picked out a lot of t-shirts she liked and he found a couple he found entertaining and added it to the growing pile.

 

“Cute stuff,” he rolled his eyes, flipping through their pile.

 

“Very cute in a smart-assy way,” she replied cheekily, complete with shit-eating grin. “‘Sides a lot of them are funny.”

 

“Hm, hm. I do like though, in a casual way. I just don’t do casual.”

 

“Well, one of these days, you’re going to have to do casual with me,” she tossed a t-shirt his way and he caught it easily.

 

He tilted his head to the side and looked at it, lips slowly starting to move up.

 

It was a black t-shirt, with a small skeleton grim reaper on the front. It was holding an also miniaturized scythe. Underneath it read ‘Be Grim Like Me.’

 

“Very cute,” he nodded approvingly, adding it.

 

“I got a matching one for me!” she said cheerfully, showing him a similar one, except a female grim reaper was sitting on the grim reaper’s head and it read ‘De and Ath are Waiting.’

 

He started snickering at it, giving her a thumbs up. She added that to the pile, before spotting one last one.

 

“Ohh, I want this one too.”

 

The two grim reapers were back, this time complete with two Matrix shades. Underneath them read ‘It is inevitable.’

 

“Get it?” she giggled and he raised an eyebrow at her. “The quote’s from the Matrix, like they’re wearing the glasses-styles from. Agent Smith says the line, I think…but here they’re twisting the words to mean death is inevitable.”

 

He shook his head at her. “You and your amusements. Come on, hurry it up so we can get out of here.”

 

“Can I have some jeans?” she eyed some of the ripped jeans and the chained jeans.

 

Charon eyed them as well, but in a different way.

 

“No.”

 

“But –”

 

“I’ll get you jeans, but not those. Levi’s or something.”

 

She huffed, “Oh, alright. At least it’s not some crazy designer or whatever jeans, and just some plain ones…”

 

Afterwards, they took a break at Cinnabon where Percy enthusiastically dug in. Charon was a little more reserved, cutting out pieces and almost daintily putting them into his mouth and chewing slightly before swallowing, eyes peacefully closed.

 

Percy eyed him before hesitantly scooting her chair closer to the table, straightening her back and taking the utensils in her hands more delicately. She began cutting the pastry carefully and then putting it into her mouth, chewing slowly and then swallowing unhurriedly.

 

His lips twitched upwards in amusement. “It is alright to eat like you were before.”

 

She focused intensely on her food, eyes narrowing at it in concentration.

 

“Yeah, well…I want to eat more refined like you,” she grumbled. “Since I’m a girl now, I guess I should be eating a little more neatly.”

 

“You’re young; youth these days tend to eat however they like, whenever they like,” Charon said sarcastically. “You don’t have to force yourself to eat old-fashionedly or like older people.”

 

She pursed her lips and shook her head, stubbornly continuing and focusing on her food.

 

They finished up at the mall, with one last stop at Mrs. Fields, where Charon bought a dozen chocolate chip cookies for Percy. She happily squealed and clutched onto the bag, sniffing it in contentment.

 

“Think of it as housewarming gift,” he patted her head fondly.

 

She grinned up at him. “Thanks! Next to my mom’s homemade chocolate chip cookies, these are the best!”

 

Charon laughed and they headed out. Quickly reaching her new home, she was surprised to see Hades waiting for her in the penthouse.

 

“I see you’ve been productive today,” Hades said smoothly.

 

Charon bowed to him before stepping back, a clear indication that Hades would be the one taking point and speaking here. Charon’s figure was slightly veiled by shadows as he leaned against the wall, while Hades, covered from head to toe in sleek black clothing, stood clearly in the light. Percy glanced hesitantly between the two before swallowing and choosing to sit down quietly.

 

“I’m glad you’ve been doing better, it seems. How do you like your place?’

 

“It’s very nice, Uncle Hades,” she started politely, unsure how to act around him. “I’m very grateful for everything, though I’m confused towards…the both of your new attitudes towards me.”

 

“Not quite new, little…” he paused. “Niece. Let’s just say that whole Lightning Thief business was very… _illuminating_.”

 

“Well, I really do like everything. It’s a bit overwhelming, with how expensive things seem to be and I don’t know how to repay you, Uncle. But I really like this place, though it’s kind of huge for just one person.”

 

Hades nodded, “It’s one bedroom though, made for one person. And you don’t need to repay me, Perseas –”

 

“Perseus,” she cut in.

 

He gracefully raised an elegant eyebrow.

 

“Perseus,” he murmured. “As I was saying, there’s no need for repayment. This is _my_ repayment to you. I know it’s a bit overwhelming, but you must merely take things as they come and simply try to adjust, even if you need to one at a time. Charon has discussed your schooling?”

 

She fidgeted, “Ah, yeah. Pretty much.”

 

“Very well. There’s also a packet about Westridge on your bed, and if you have any further questions you may ask me or call them if you choose. I’ve taken the liberty of choosing your classes, though if there was one you’d prefer to take instead, you may tell me and I’ll make the arrangements. Tell me –you said you liked this penthouse, correct? How about the decorations and the interior design?”

 

She blinked in confusion at the abrupt change, but answered quickly.

 

“I didn’t think it would suit me, but I was surprised to realize I really liked it. I told Charon it was very Renaissance-y. The artwork designs are beautiful,” she confessed.

 

Hades nodded again, “You might like the art class I set you up then. I think you’d like it. Give it a try, hm?”

 

“Uh, okay,” she didn’t think she was much of an art person, though she just recently found an appreciation for the art around her penthouse.

 

“If you’d prefer to go to Marymount, however, that is fine as well and I can easily make the arrangements,” he looked like he might actually prefer it.

 

She held up her hands, hesitant smile twitching as her eyes instinctively closed in embarrassment and awkwardness.

 

“Nah, it’s okay,” she said quickly.

 

Hades gave her a small smile.

 

“That’s fine. Your necklace is very pretty. I assume it’s from my brother?” When she nodded, he continued. “Very useful,” he eyed the pearls. “I also have something of the like to give to you.”

 

He handed her four stackable rings. Two of them were simple bands, one an odd black metal and the other looked gold but something seemed off about it. The odd black one had a peridot stone next to the words FIGHT WIN LIVE engraved, although the words _Neutiquam Erro_ were engraved inside the band. The gold one was similar, but instead of a peridot stone, it had a red stone that was tinted brown, and instead of words it had Roman numerals VIII XVIII MCMXCIII engraved.

 

The other two were also simple, but a little more decorative and seemed elegant to her. One she could tell was celestial bronze, made into a scroll band that met in the middle with a marquis cut onyx gem, with two rounded, sideways x’s on either side of it. The other actually seemed to be made of crystal, also a scroll band but with carved curls that reminded her of Greco-Roman columns. It was a round cut diamond gem embedded in that one.

 

“These are more than rings, and more of communications bands. The black one connects to me. You may use it to contact me in case of emergency or if you wish to talk, merely say the words _Neutiquam Erro_ to connect to me. It means ‘I am not lost.’ I don’t think I need to say what those words or the others on the band probably mean to you.”

 

Percy shook her head, glancing at it with a closer eye.

 

“The one with Roman numerals connects to the…Roman version of Camp Half-Blood, which is best that I don’t tell you the location of. I will tell you more about it later though, if you wish. As a favor to me, they will come to your aid if you read the Roman numerals, which should be easy to remember since it is your birthday. The other two are simply additional protective enchantments. When combined together, especially with the gems and the metals, the rings weave very complex and strong defenses that should protect you until at least help arrives.”

 

“Gems and metals?” she asked, though she wanted to dive straight into that Roman Half-Blood stuff.

 

“Each of the gems on the rings are your birthstones, which is important as mediums to draw energy from different sources and help power the rings. And as your birthstones, it reinforces it for _you_. The diamond is your mystical birthstone; talismanic for Leos. The peridot is the modern day August birthstone, and the onyx is a Leo gem, but more importantly connects you to me and my power. The red stone is carnelian, your Roman birthstone. You recognized the celestial bronze, while the gold one is Imperial Gold, a metal sacred to the Roman Camp. The black one is Stygian iron that is sacred to myself and my family, and forged in the Underworld. Lastly, the crystal is Olympic Crystal. Together, they should keep you safe.

 

“You must not forget that everything has purpose and meaning, and that uses can be found. All of them combined enhance your protections, more than apart and singularly.”

 

Percy’s eyes widened at it all, but she looked at him questioningly.

 

“I guess so…but it’s still a lot. Especially for me? I don’t get that. I’m mortal now. Why should I need so much protection? Wouldn’t everyone just forget about me or something? Besides that, I thought I wouldn’t be able to touch celestial bronze or even the others now.”

 

Hades strangely hesitated before sighing.

 

“Maybe. But you could be in danger, or have bad luck in running into hazards. Moreover, it’s best to be prepared and just make sure. I’d rather not take risks. As for the materials…you should be able to touch them anyways, being that the metals are only not supposed to harm mortals but you can still touch it. Stygian iron is another matter, but I have taken measures for you to be able to touch it. Perhaps I’ll explain in more detail some other time…”

 

Percy was really surprised by all this, though she was really touched.

 

“Thanks a lot, Uncle Hades. I really still don’t understand why, but I can’t tell you how much I appreciate all this and am really happy about it!”

 

Hades blinked at her before coughing uncomfortably and giving her an acknowledging nod.

 

“There is just one last precaution I had included into the penthouse. Please follow me,” Hades started to lead the way to her room, with Charon trailing quietly in background behind them, like a bodyguard. Hades strangely climbed onto her fancy new bed, elegantly as always, before pressing against the wall behind it very firmly. She was surprised to see it give way and then move to the side. The Lord of the Dead crawled in first and Percy hesitantly followed.

 

They crawled for a minute before dropping into a hallway, where Hades led her around before stopping into a large chamber with a pair of vertical rectangular panels standing upright side by side without assistance in the middle of the room. Two thuribles hung from chains floating in midair on either side of the panel doors, incense already burning in them.

 

“The panels are a form of Japanese doors called _fusuma_. If ever your home is to be intruded, you must retreat to here. If they are still able to follow you, you must use this,” here Hades held out a silver key that hung from a small chain, with the handle of the key monogrammed with her initials and the stem carved into a spiral. “Insert the key in the keyhole in between the _fusuma_ doors and unlock it as if they were normal doors. However, in actuality, you would be opening a gateway to different worlds. I’ve only linked this doorway to a handful, but you must take care because you might accidentally be sent to somewhere else.

 

“This place is like a maze, as it mimics the Labyrinth in the myths. It will help stop or at least slow down any persistent pursuers. You won’t have that problem as it will instinctively recognize you and lead you to this area, every time. Unless of course, you don’t wish to.”

 

Percy blinked, holding her head.

 

“Ah, wow…there’s a whole lot of explanations going on and my head feel like it’s about to explode,” she said in embarrassment.

 

Hades’ lips twitched upwards, though Charon was more vocal in chuckling quietly.

 

“Don’t worry; I will be done soon as I have to leave.”

 

Percy inwardly frowned. Even though her head was hurting from all of the explanations, she didn’t want them to leave so quickly.

 

“Most of those worlds are hostile to humans though. That choker of yours is beautiful and I commend my brother for it, but I would appreciate it if you wore this as well. You may keep it hidden and you don’t have to wear it around your neck all the time, but try to keep it on you. The shields on it should keep you hidden or protected, but if someone strong should be able to detect you passed it, then just show them the pendant and they’ll know you are under mine,” Hades showed her the golden elaborate snowflake pendant, with diamonds around the edges and a huge one in the middle.

 

“When you’re here in the penthouse, save all your other protections and just head for here and travel to another world. You will not be followed and you will be safe until a time I will come after you. Outside of here, I’d like you to use this first,” he handed her an ice whistle. “This is a Stygian Ice Whistle that will summon help to you immediately. It’ll help you while the Roman demigods hurry on their way to help you. Please try to save the pearls as a last resort. They take awhile to come back and you should use them sparingly and when you feel you would most need them without any other choice.”

 

Percy nodded, though she frowned as she thought back.

 

“How are you sure that the Roman demigods will come to aid me? I mean…I’m mortal and all. If the others,” Percy looked away for a second. “If the others won’t care for me, why would they?”

 

Hades gave a chilling smile. “They will if they know what’s good for them.”

 

She was backed to being touched, staring at him in surprise.

“Let us go back out, for I have two more surprises for you,” Hades announced.

 

She wasn’t understanding how he was being so considerate, and she didn’t know what else he could give to help her out. He had done a lot for her already, and she practically had everything she needed already.

 

As soon as she got out, the answer was in the form of a small figure jumping from the bed and nearly bowling her back into the secret entrance behind her bed. It licked her and she froze, grabbing it and pulling it back, somewhat ignoring Charon and Hades watching her in amusement from the side of the bed where she was still sitting.

 

It had three heads, staring at her eagerly, and was slobbering a bit.

 

But it was _miniaturized_.

 

“Cerberus?” she questioned in disbelief.

 

All three heads barked.

 

“I thought you would like some company. Unfortunately, Cerberus can only come every other week, if not months, as he is still supposed to be helping out in the Underworld. But I do have something else that will be able to keep you company in the meantime and is yours to keep,” Hades handed her an ornate pipe that she took in confusion, though she was surprised that he had another thing to give her.

 

Still, she was feeling strange with all the gifts, even if they were meant for protection and to help her settle in. She was still shocked that Hades was doing so much for her in the first place, and didn’t know what else he was handing her.

 

Once she touched the pipe, it automatically slid open and an odd thing popped out of it and then darted towards her, wrapping around her neck and nuzzling her cheek as her hand froze on Cerberus’ heads.

 

“It’s a kudakitsune. A pipe fox. Very rare and useful,” Hades commented.

 

The snake-like fox moved quickly from her neck to her wrist, the one away from the three-headed dog. It gave her hand a peck.

 

“Looks like it’s attached to her already,” Charon smirked.

 

Percy blushed but petted the pipe fox with her thumb as she continued petting Cerberus as well.

 

“We’ll have to leave now, but we’ll check in with you soon. If you need anything, remember how to contact me. If you need to go anywhere, there is a number by your phone for you to call and you’ll be driven to where you need to go,” Hades added in.

 

Percy nodded and saw them out, Cerberus trotting after her and sticking close to her feet. And when they were gone, Percy sighed and stared around at her apartment.

 

It was suddenly very lonely in her large apartment, and she wished she had asked them to stay for the night, or even a little while longer.

 

The little pipe fox pecked her cheek comfortingly, though she hadn’t even noticed when it had traveled back to hang around her neck, and Cerberus rubbed up against her leg. She gave them a sad smile.

 

“Thanks guys. I think it’s time to sleep.”

 

She got ready for bed and the pipe fox slept soundly curled around her arm and Cerberus on the pillow next to her head.

 

The next morning, she lazily got up and started getting ready for the day. She thought she could get a head start on her school supplies, though she saw that Hades and Charon actually did get some already. She just needed to get things that were more personalized, as they only got packages of lined paper, regular pencils, black and blue pens, and that kind of stuff. Though…she was surprised to see a leather Hermès backpack (she was confused about the brand too) along with an Olympus laptop that was different from the one Charon had over.

 

She took a shower, wondering at how she was now an early person (as a male, she did whatever she could to just sleep in –she missed that). Toweling herself off, she wrapped the towel around her waist and started to look for some clothing, when she noticed how uncomfortable the air was hitting her wet and now more sensitive chest and that the towel was slipping more from her slimmer waist. Remembering how women usually wore towels, she wrapped the towel from her waist around her hair and let it sit on her head, as she reached for another one.

 

She froze as she caught sight of herself in the mirror, observing the changes with dull eyes. She would have thought she’d be over this by now, but then again she’d avoided looking at herself in the mirror since the change.

 

Her eyes rove up and down her body critically. She swallowed harshly as her hands traveled hesitantly to her breasts, cupping them as she stared dumbly at her reflection. One thumb brushed lightly against an areola, watching it stiffen into a peak.

 

Wrong. This was all wrong.

 

Her skin was too soft and she missed the calloused tissue from before, lean but the start of becoming lightly muscled. Now she was all softness, but firm and flat; still lean and even slightly muscled, but _somehow different_.

 

She had bountiful curves, but all in the wrong places. Her lips were too soft as well, easily more pouty than before. Even her eyes held a softer edge around them that hadn’t been there.

 

“I’m a boy,” her voice cracked in the middle, sliding to the floor unhappily as she tucked in on herself, doubling over as she wrapped her arms tightly around her folded legs, lightly crying to herself about her luck and her situation. The kudakitsune was comfortingly nuzzling its face against her neck, as it wrapped around it.

 

Knocking started on her door and she hastily wiped her face, scrambling up.

 

“Hold on!” she yelled out, hurriedly trying to find a second towel to wrap around her body.

 

Busy searching in a panic, and still upset from earlier, she failed to notice Cerberus “helping out” by opening the door and a mildly amused and yet also sad Charon observing her from the bathroom’s entrance. With one last sniffle, she finally noticed him when he stood behind her and reached around her for the towel she finally located. He calmly wrapped it around her, and she lightly flushed red in embarrassment, quietly wiping her still somewhat leaky eyes.

 

“Charon….w-what are you –”

 

“Hades wanted me to come check up on you to see how you were settling in. I can’t stay long, but I’ll make you some breakfast. Going out somewhere?” he interrupted. He didn’t mention her state, thankfully.

 

“I wanted to get some more school supplies,” she muttered, letting him take the towel on her head and start to dry it.

 

“Silly girl. Stop crying. You have a new life and you need to look on the brighter side of life. _Your_ life,” he murmured, hands gently rubbing the cloth thoroughly through and all about her hair.

 

He let his hands fall to his side, the towel still haphazardly on her head. She looked up at him, blinking with teary eyes as she sniffled adorably, her face slightly red.

 

Charon smirked, “You look adorable. Now hurry it up and get ready, I’ll go and make pancakes.”

 

She sniffed, looking at him with wide eyes. “...Can I get _chocolate_ pancakes?”

 

He looked back with raised eyebrows, but shrugged and went back to smirking.

 

“Yeah, sure. Whatever, just get ready.”

 

She smiled cheekily at him, even in her vulnerable state (which she _hated_ , because Percy didn’t do vulnerable –at least not when she was a guy). Charon grabbed one of her bras from its place in the drawer and chucked it at her.

 

“Wear that one. It’s cute. Well, sexy more like. Reminds me of a French maid outfit,” he winked at her.

 

She threateningly took aim with the can of hairspray she’d found.

 

He left quickly and she uncomfortably went back to getting ready, ignoring the mirror altogether now. Making sure she was entirely dry, she was even more uncomfortable as she put on her underwear and then stared distastefully at the bra. And yes, she was going with his choice...but only because it _did_ look nice and she really _did_ like it! It had nothing to do with Charon being the one who said it or that she wanted to look sexy. Or that she wanted to look sexy for Charon. Or that she wanted to look sexy at all. Wait, she already did say that –

 

She shook her head to clear her thoughts, wincing as she felt a headache coming on. She was also just confusing herself...

 

Snatching up the bra, she glared at it.

 

“You will not defeat me.”

 

In the end, she was defeated by the bra.

 

She had it on, fumbling with the straps and trying to hook it behind her. She couldn’t get used to reaching behind her, she couldn’t figure out how to hook it in the first place, and she definitely was weirded out by the idea of having to wear the bra in the first place! She still wasn’t even used to wearing it at all either.

 

In the end, she just hid the bra back and put on a shirt. She finished toweling up her hair, though Charon had taken care of most of the wetness, and then followed Aphrodite’s instructions for her hair. Apparently, it would be too time-consuming to do it the ordinary way, so the goddess had made it possible for her to get the Alice pixie cut in just a few seconds. All she had to do was close her eyes and run both hands through her hair, thinking about the style as she murmured a quick prayer to Aphrodite. Opening her eyes, she saw that her hair had already been styled, so she just finished up there.

 

Slipping quietly into the kitchen area, she watched Charon continue cooking as she just as quietly sat on a chair at the table.

 

“Did you get the bra on?” he asked, flipping the last pancake.

 

“Uh, yeah!” she nervously replied.

 

He turned slightly, glancing suspiciously at her, but she just smiled back brightly.

 

“ _Chocolate_ pancakes,” he presented, slight sarcasm in his voice.

 

But she just pouted and ignored it as she dug in.

 

“This is great!” she hummed happily in contentment. “Now all I need is some strawberries, and I’m good to go!”

 

He rolled his eyes, surprisingly retrieving a pack of strawberries from the refrigerator.

 

“Gift from Dionysus,” he announced, handing them to her.

 

She held back a squeal and tried to refrain from snatching them out of his hands.

 

“Really?”

 

He shrugged, “No. I stole them from him though. You looked kinda depressed as we were leaving yesterday, so I got them for you.”

 

“Thanks, Charon!” she beamed at him.

 

He waved her off, a completely black card suddenly appearing in his hand. He held it up between his index and middle finger.

 

“This is your ‘credit card’. Whatever you need to buy, use this. Keep it with you and try to not lose it. If stolen though, it will automatically come back to you.”

 

Her eyes were wide and she wondered at her new life. Because she was now living a nice, sheltered life. She was starting to feel a little spoiled –not that she was complaining or wasn’t enjoying herself. Her new life really wasn’t starting to look so bad...

 

“Lord Hades recommends you look into getting a job later on. While you are free to use this card whenever for whatever, a job would be good to build on skills and other things, as well as pass time by. Whatever money you earn can also be used for whatever you wish, and generally be used as pocket money.”

 

She nodded, agreeing with the idea. Plus, she would kind of feel guilty and odd about letting Hades pay for everything and just living off of him. She didn’t want to appear ungrateful or a leech. Or a moocher. Or a –

 

“Don’t worry so much about things and just keep moving on with your life, and live normally.”

 

He gave a finger poke to her forehead and she started pouting again.

 

+  
+  
+  
+  
+  
+

 

After Charon showed her which phone number to call, written on a sticky note on the phone for her to keep and memorize, she went her way as Charon disappeared, immediately spotting the car. It would be parked at one of her parking spots, Charon had said, but she hadn’t expected the car. She twitched and stared.

 

A Rolls Royce. She was suddenly very glad that she was taking the public transit to school.

 

As she got closer, the car’s lights flashed and then it was backing out, smoothly going into a stop before her. A giant of a man got out of the driver’s seat and went to open the door for her, and she hesitantly went in. She noted the classy interior, the dark tint to the windows (almost blacked out –wasn’t that illegal?), but most of all she noted her driver. He was a golem; blank of face and made of stone. His uniform couldn’t hide that fact, and she was rather startled by that.

 

She was surprised to find that inside the car, she had a clear view of the outside, despite the extremely dark tint the windows displayed on the outside.

 

The car started moving and she focused on her next place, tentatively announcing it to her “driver” through the intercom. They were driving soon to there, where she also told the golem driver that she would probably be done by two hours. Inwardly, she was thinking that she should look into getting a phone, as it would be much easier to call the golem back instead of imposing a time limit on herself. Golem or not, she didn’t want to be rude and be late or something.

 

Inside, she immediately started scouring around, getting her business done. She took a break after she had finished looking into the first cellular phone place, finding the food court. She ordered her food and idly sat at one of the tables, glancing around in boredom.

 

“Hi, can I sit here?” a blond boy a little younger than her smiled handsomely at her.

 

 _‘He’ll grow up to be a heartbreaker,’_ she mentally noted, amusingly also noting the light blush dusting his cheeks.

 

“Sure, kid,” she answered back.

 

He cleared his throat and stood up straighter.

 

“I am not a kid, ma’am,” he corrected, electric blue eyes – _‘Damn, those eyes look familiar somehow’_ –sparking almost defiantly. “I am eleven years old.”

 

“So serious,” she teased, leaning back and having the urge to plop her feet onto the table. “Sit down, sit down. Have a cookie,” she winked at him.

 

He went back to blushing, seating himself opposite her.

 

“I’m not a kid,” he muttered, hand hovering near a cookie as he debated whether or not to get one.

 

“Cookies are cookies. You don’t have to be a kid to want one,” she rolled her eyes, stealing the cookie beneath his hand and promptly taking a bite out of it. “I’m Percy. What’s your name? Or do I get to keep calling you ‘kid’?”

 

“My name’s Jason Grace,” he introduced himself.

 

She froze and nearly let herself look at him in shock before forcing a smile. It had to be a coincidence...

 

“Well, Jason, what are you doing around these parts?”

 

She saw him hesitate before recovering and giving a convincing smile to her.

 

“Me and my friends were just hanging around the mall. We’re just looking for a specific mirror, but we haven’t seen it around. Thought I’d stop to rest awhile, maybe grab a bite to eat.”

 

“A mirror, huh? What’s it look like? Maybe I’ve seen it around.”

 

Jason once again looked hesitant. “I doubt it,” he said vaguely.

 

She almost narrowed her eyes at him, but shrugged instead. If it had anything to do with that world and if he was one of _them_ , then it didn’t matter and she shouldn’t care. It wasn’t her problem and she wasn’t part of them anymore.

 

“Sure, if you say so,” she finished up her cookie and reached for another one. “Why did you want to sit here anyway? There’s a bunch of other free seats,” she eyed the other seats around them curiously, looking back at him with the same look.

 

This time he turned fully red and started stuttering, confusing her completely and bewildering her.

 

“N-no r-reason. I just wanted to, uh, sit here with you. Uh, with someone my age! Yeah, since you’re alone,” he finally explained, a lot different from the composed and mature kid he was before she’d asked him that.

 

She blinked. “Uh...okay.”

 

He coughed nervously and attempted to regain the grown-up visage he had been trying to maintain before she unintentionally metaphorically smashed it to bits with a figurative hammer.

 

“Jase!” a lighter voice entered the fray, and Percy looked around to see a cheerful girl dragging a boy behind her as they headed their way.

 

Jason looked surprised and slightly disappointed at their appearance.

 

“Bobby, Hazel,” he waved to them, and soon enough they were at the table, looking at Jason expectantly as they glanced at her. Jason sighed. “Guys, this is Percy. Percy, this is Bobby and Hazel,” he introduced the other boy and the girl respectively.

 

“Hello,” Percy greeted amiably.

 

“Hi,” the other two chorused.

 

“I guess we’ll have to go –” Jason reluctantly began, when there was a roar and a familiar face appeared.

 

Percy blinked again. Well, it _has_ been _a-whi-ile~_

“Son of Jupiter, you will pay!”

 

“Didn’t we lose her five miles back?” Hazel asked her companions in annoyance.

 

Bobby groaned while Jason frowned at the incoming monster, narrowing his eyes.

 

“Better come up with a plan quick,” Percy quipped, sitting in her chair calmly as she leaned forward and semi-clasped her fingers, laying her chin on it in boredom.

 

Jason did a double-take, gaping at her funnily.

 

“Wait...you can see her? Are you one of those clear-sighted mortals?” he questioned.

 

Percy sighed, refraining from rolling her eyes once again.

 

“I think you have more important issues at the moment. Focus?” she pointed at Echidna as she looked at them with a raised eyebrow.

 

Jason cleared his throat in embarrassment, before becoming completely serious and visibly transforming into a sort of soldier to her eyes, just by the straightening of his body, the electric charge in his eyes that contained a hint of anticipation and excitement, and the battle ready stance he took on.

 

“Hazel, left flank. Bobby, right!” he took out a coin and flipped it, and Percy watched as it transformed into a sword.

 

It was a little bit odd, watching this fight. She could clearly see, almost in an intimidating and yet awe-inspiring manner, that these kids were much better fighters than she was when she was at their age (well, outside of when she was in water). And when she looked at their faces, their completely serious faces were focused and there was a tinge of danger lining their bodies. The Greek Camp certainly trained fighters, but it seemed the Roman Camp was drilling out soldiers while they were out collecting strawberries.

 

Even the way they were in sync was better. The teamwork far-matched any that Percy had seen at the Greek Camp, or any that she’d experienced. Even the tight nit formations, especially the impressive Phalanx formation, Clarisse had commanded at the beginning of the summer were almost eclipsed by the fighting she was seeing here. If only because it seemed the kids were slightly inexperienced and were, after all, still just that –kids, then that was only the small advantage they’d had over these Roman demigods. Still, if these newbies could do all that, then what about the older, more experienced Roman demigods back at the camp, especially if they weren’t held to the lack of Quests that the Greek Camp had until Percy arrived....? It was, surprisingly and uneasily, a frightening thought.

 

She supposed only Ares and maybe Athena campers could hold a candle to them, and even then Percy thought the Roman counterparts could take them on while the rest easily took the Greek counters out. Greeks weren’t known for their military advantage, except maybe Spartans and various other factions she couldn’t recall right then.

 

Still, as she’d stated, they were still young, amateur kids and they were still going to be prone to more mistakes than most. Bobby was knocked back after he miscalculated where one of Echidna’s tails would move, crashing into one of the store windows, and she winced. She repeated the action when she saw Hazel get thrown and hit the floor roughly, rolling several feet before slowing to a stop and not moving.

 

Several times through the fight, debris was flying all around her and one chunk of the ceiling fell on top of the large fountain near her, causing more debris to be created and come flying towards her. Fortunately, the four rings Hades gave her glowed briefly and a brief sheen of light covered her, forming a nearly undetectable shield around her that fended off all the debris and left her safe. Unfortunately, that didn’t include the water from the inevitable splash from the debris hitting the fountain, causing quite a bit of it to splash on her. Soaking wet, she watched the fight in a deadpanned manner after that.

She did noticed the screaming crowd had finally dispersed, she was the only one there, and that she was the only one who hadn’t fled. Go figure. Well, she _would_ be odd like that and just stay. Plus, she kind of enjoyed these kinds of things –finding entertainment from it, as a former demigod and all.

 

Though, when Jason shot an arc of electricity towards Echidna, she blinked and pouted.

 

“No fair. I want powers like those. How kickass,” she commented to herself. And though she was playful and joking about it, her thoughts took a darker turn and inwardly she would admit she was slightly envious. Not really of the power bit, but because Jason had those powers at all, and as a demigod. Percy dully looked at her hand, watching droplets of water coating it. She clenched her jaw.

 

“Oh, Echi~!” she sing-songed, shortening Echidna’s name while she was at it. The monster angrily snapped her head towards her at the call, narrowing her eyes at her and looking confused, with awareness growing and yet still confusion still there in her eyes. “How’s the kiddies?” Percy smiled widely.

 

Echidna screeched and dashed towards her.

 

But Jason took the opportunity handed him, sending another arc of electricity that he was able to hit Echidna with straight on, stunning her. Just as he struck her with his sword, she managed one final hit that had his sword taken from his hand and flying Percy’s way, clattering to the floor at her feet as Echidna turned to golden dust.

 

And yet it wasn’t over. For where Echidna was, _Sonny_ was sure to not be far behind.

 

Sure enough, the huge chimaera was bounding in, leaping up into the air and ready to take a chunk of the defenseless Jason. Percy sighed and navigated her foot quickly, sure movements letting her tip the sword upright by the handle and then once again using her foot to toss it into the air. She grabbed it when it was right in front of her, and then tossed it like a javelin towards the remaining monster, piercing it through its throat. It harmlessly flew over Jason’s head and turned into golden dust right before it made to crash into the floor.

 

The three Roman demigods were assembled together once Percy looked back to them, gaping at her as she raised her eyebrows back, ignoring the looks of awe on their faces.

 

“I never said I was a ‘clear-sighted mortal’ or whatever that is. I’m Percy Jackson, former demigod but still Daughter of Poseidon,” she really wanted to act arrogant because she was still feeling slightly insecure about that whole title, but she settled for nonchalance because she was never really good at being arrogant.

 

“Oh...you’re the, uh, demigod mortal Lord Pluto asked the camp to watch out for,” Hazel said uneasily, stiffening.

 

“Lord Pluto, right,” Percy muttered, scratching the back of her head in embarrassment.

 

“You mean Neptune, right?” Bobby scrunched up his eyebrows, thinking back to her words.

 

Jason frowned, “She’s never been to camp, Bobby. It’s probably how she learned of it all, the Greek way in school and stuff.”

 

Oh yeah, the camps don’t know about each other, that much she could glean from when she first learned about it.

 

“Right, sure. I never got to make it to the Roman Camp, so I learned all I know from the outside, with some...divine help,” Percy laughed nervously.

 

“It’s amazing that you were able to make it on your own all these years,” Hazel remarked in admiration.

 

They all were looking at her like that, just like they had earlier when she’d defeated the chimaera, and it was kind of strange to have the tables turned on her when she’d been the one admiring them just before that. Still, they looked like they had a lot of questions, particularly why “Pluto” was so insistent on her being taken cared of, especially since it was _Pluto_. Or Hades. Whatever.

 

“Anyways, the three of us will get to be personally watching over you, though not this summer. We’re kind of on a Quest right now,” Jason informed her, turning that red again for some strange reason. “Until next summer, two of our counselors, immortal guardians more like, will be arriving tomorrow to watch you.”

 

“Well, that’s good to know,” Percy hmmed, noting that. She hadn’t known about that at all.

 

“Wow, Jason! You’re so lucky. How’d you find her so quickly?” Hazel asked him.

 

Jason coughed. “Um...I didn’t know she was the demigod mortal.”

 

 _‘I totally like that name. Much better than calling myself a former demigod,’_ Percy thought the more they kept calling her that. It was less degrading than “former” demigod, in her opinion. Or the self-imposed entire title of ‘former demigod but still Daughter of Poseidon,’ which was actually depressing and picked at her insecurities, and kind of made to keep reminding herself that she still was and that Poseidon still considered her so. Just ‘former demigod’ made her bitter.

 

Bobby suddenly had a teasing grin on his face.

 

“Does someone have a _crush_?”

 

Hazel’s face lit up in understanding. “Ooh, I get it. So Jase saw a pretty girl and fell in love at first sight, eh? How cuuteeee~.”

 

“Quiet you two,” Jason gave a rather impressive intimidating glare.

 

It kind of looked like they’d forgotten about her, even though they were talking about her in the first place. Still, Percy admitted she was a bit flattered.

 

 _‘But I’m a boy,’_ she thought in amusement, silently giving the kid her reply. _‘I’m flattered, but I’m a boy. Sorry.’_

 

She hadn’t known that the whole reason Jason had approached her and wanted to specifically sit with her was because he’d seen her and thought she was pretty. It was kind of...cute and amusing that he’d wanted to talk to her because he’d formed a...small, instant crush. It was another thing to remind her that for all the seriousness, they were still kids. Especially the teasing going around and how they were currently acting...

 

“Go on! Tell her she’s pretty to her face, _coward_ ,” Bobby snarked, daring the unofficial leader.

 

“I am not a coward, mongrel. I’ll have you know that I can and will tell her that,” Jason pursed his lips.

 

_‘ **Gods** , these kids kind of speak so old-fashioned sometimes.’_

“Right now,” Hazel continued, smirking.

 

Jason huffed indignantly, glaring challengingly back. But as he turned to her, he hesitated and averted his eyes to the ground, turning a bright red once more.

 

“Um, you’re...very pretty, Percy...Miss Jackson,” he’d almost mumbled, but said it clear enough in the end.

 

“Thank you,” she said simply, deciding not to reply her entire witty remark, and reveal the whole embarrassing and humiliating fiasco while she was at it. They had no need to know and it would be just cruel to Jason anyways. Accepting the compliment seemed the best way to go.

 

His head snapped up and he was practically beaming happily at her, looking into her eyes with an adorable sort of infatuated look. Then his eyes accidentally looked down and he turned red for a different reason. She looked down as well in confusion, before her face turned to red and she sort of twitched.

 

A white t-shirt, soaked with water, and no bra was a potent combination.

 

In a show of inhuman strength that had her wondering if there was at least some leftover demigod-ness still in her, she hefted an entire table above head and ready to throw at the blond Roman demigod.

 

“You. Little. PERVERT!”

 

“I’m sorry! It was an accident!” Jason yelled, all three of them turning tail and starting to run for their lives.

 

Before Percy could throw the furniture, it was suddenly lifted and put back onto the floor, a towel suddenly plopped onto her head. She blinked and turned to see an amused Charon, who had already started to dry her hair. Huh, déjà vu...

 

“Didn’t I tell you to wear a bra?” he asked in exasperation, rolling his eyes.

 

“I got frustrated with the thing,” she muttered, pouting.

 

“You don’t go out in public without a bra. Unless it’s a certain type of top or a backless dress,” Charon added as an afterthought. “Here, this is a sports bra. Only time I’ll let you wear it, and I don’t want to hear about you wearing it all the time, unless it’s for anything physical or strenuous activities. Got it?”

 

“Yeah, yeah,” she snorted, taking a hold of it and taking off her shirt right there and starting to put it on.

 

“...What’s with the sudden exhibitionism?” Charon asked sarcastically, twitching.

 

“Huh? What’s that?”

 

“Nothing, never mind. Just, if you don’t want perverts, you really shouldn’t be taking clothes off freely in public,” he pointed out.

 

She blinked. “Oh. Hm. I didn’t really think about it. I guess my sense of what’s perverted is kind of skewed right now.”

 

Theory: While the sudden gender change probably had a lot to do with Percy’s confusion on that sort of thing, there was also the choosing to be obvious and not to be obvious. Charon prior and Jason just then (as well as Mark and Sherman of the Ares cabin, not that anyone was quite of aware of that incident just yet), had been rather obvious in a) reactions and b) purposeful teasing –which immediately put her guard up and made her retaliate and immediately sense the pervertedness. Oppositely, staying quiet and of the like seemed to put Percy at ease and not notice.

 

Charon made a mental note about that, grinning inwardly.

 

“Come on then,” he sighed. “Let’s get you home.”

 

“My shirt’s still wet though,” Percy complained, missing her demigod powers.

 

“Apparently, women aren’t bothered by wearing solely a sports bra as a top. You’re fine and I’ll put the heater on in the car.”

 

Percy sighed and followed a step behind obediently.

 

They left behind the three Roman demigods, who was staring behind the two’s back incredulously, though they were still slightly cowering from a certain someone’s righteous indignation.

 

Started 1/23/11 –Completed 7/3/11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/n: Real apartment, real directions, real rings (though it’s my descriptions), and real school. The t-shirts don’t actually exist in Hot Topic, and are of my own design (I’m actually designing them in boredom when I have time…). I got to set up the stage for many of the things to come in this story in this chapter (well, Hades mostly did), so some hints as to what’s to come are ingrained in here. Plus, the introduction of Jason (who is actually really 11 in canon timeline at this time, while Percy is 13 and turning 14 by the time school comes around). I originally was going to introduce Atlas too, but this thing was just getting too long.


End file.
